It's Logical: An Encounter with Rubik
by LSgrimm91
Summary: NCIS investigates the ritualistic murder of a naval commander. As more bodies emerge the team must watch each other's back now more than ever. Tiva based, tiny bit of Gabby. strong plot, not for the easily amused.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer****: no, I don't own anything worthy of a copyright. **

**Story summary****: The team investigates the ritualistic murder of a formidable naval commander. The murder coincides with an assassination attempt on Gibbs. The case continues with the emergence of five more bodies and the clues become more crucial to finding the n night stand between next victims. Meanwhile, a one night stand between tony and Ziva brings complications aboard and reveals some new aspects of Tony's personality that no one ever conceive him to be capable of.**

**a/note****: so this is my debut NCIS fan fic and my shining return to writing. I'm testing out some new stories here after a satisfying, though short lived career writing for the X Files. I feel good about this story. It's a crime story, laced with poignant friendship moments and if anything, is a Tiva story with a bit of no-romo. Gabby. PS, yes I ramble, get used to it :D**

"So you finally came to see your old man?"

"This is purely coincidence. Guaranteed." Tony stood before the elderly man, hands stowed deep within his charcoal grey slacks.

"Well, I suppose that's the only way you will, _grace_ me, with your presence." The remark struck old nerves but Tony felt no pain this time. Anthony DiNozzo Snr repositioned the dripping ice pack above his brow. He slouched in the back of the ambulance, his tie undone and his suit thoroughly soiled with mud and dirt. He looked tired and immeasurable old. Tony himself could only look at the wet road below, knowing that they would both leave this conversation very soon, with new emotional scars to carry.

"You know," tony ran a thumb along the line of his lip. "You would think, that this little _incident_ what offer enough insight into my job for you to tolerate the way I live my life." He scoffed at the older man.

Gibbs leant against the side of the ambulance, in Tony's view but hidden from his agents father. Tony evidently didn't mind the eavesdropping. Tony's father sighed, taking the ice pack and gently placing it on his swollen knee, rolling it around and into place.

"I was in no danger. Rubik made it very clear that we would come to no harm. We would have escaped eventually." He sounded so casual about it.

"I'm sure." Tony scoffed.

"You think you _did_ something here?" he let out a short laugh. " Do you honestly believe you are doing more good to society as a federal agent?"

Gibbs toyed with the idea of stepping in, but knew this was Tony's chance to stand alone. This was his battle.

"I think that no matter what I do, it won't be good enough."

The rest of his team had begun to take notice of the conversation unravelling before them. The others had already left for the hospital and the agents were left to be questioned. Luckily for Rubik, he was already gone. McGee and Abby sat some distance away, nursing their wounds. Ducky looked over Ziva, whom he had 'strongly advised' to sit on the bonnet of one of the police cruisers. The conversation was polluted by the bustling investigators and the sounds of the odd vehicle passing close by. They focussed more intently.

"Anthony, your mother will always contend, that you were the best part of me she ever had. To me, you were nothing more than a disappointment..."

Tony half grinned.

"I guess I can say the same thing about my child, when they are born." He said with enough sadness in his voice to make his father wonder. "something we can agree on."

"Boy, you are nothing more than a player. If you are half as lucky as I am, you will find someone as good as your mother."

"I did. I met someone." His father looked confused. As did the rest of the NCIS team. "I met someone incredible. Someone amazing. Someone who came to me so suddenly... Someone, I fully intend to marry."

Needless to say, the surrounding eavesdroppers where stunned. Gibbs pushed himself off the side of the ambulance. He looked over his shoulder, summoning the driver.

"Mr. DiNozzo will be looking to leave soon."

"Sure thing."

Tony's father feigned good humour to Tony's sudden announcement.

"So, you knocked the poor girl up... you want to marry her-" The conversation was cut short by the arrival of the middle aged paramedic who's comb over had seen better days in the grotesque humidity of the scene. Tony was glad for the disruption. This spar might be best left a tie.

"I'm afraid we are going to have to get Mr. DiNozzo down to the hospital," the DiNozzo Snr resigned himself to the gurney in the back of the ambulance with several grunts and groans. "You're free to come with him."

"I'm sure my son would want to stay here and do as he does."

"It's okay." Tony nodded to the paramedic. He took one of the doors and went to close it. He stopped.

"For the record, I decided to marry her, regardless." DiNozzo snr contemplated this for a brief moment.

"Of the child?"

"I consider it an added bonus. And I can't wait." He shut the back door with a thump and a click. Gibbs came into full view when the ambulance finally took off.

"A little sudden?" He slowly approached his senior agent.

"No such thing." He slid his hands back into his pockets. There was no doubt in his voice. He was so sure about this decision.

"When are you going to tell them?" He looked over Tony's shoulder to his team. They were watching, waiting. Tony glanced over his shoulder and then turned back to Gibbs, with a small, childish smirk.

"I think they heard me."

Meanwhile, his eavesdropping comrades looked to one another, except Ziva. She couldn't meet their eyes. How could he do that? Here. Of all places. Such an announcement. A lone tear escaped her and burned the cold skin of her cheeks. He was exactly what she thought he was. She felt ashamed of herself, guilty even. She let herself run wild with such strong emotions and look where it landed her. She regretted those emotions.

Far too much to ever forget.

**And... cut to the black and white still shot of Ziva looking sad. Intro time :) mwow woo POW! doo doo dee doo, deed da doo...**

**REVIEW! PLEASE!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer****: no, I don't own anything worthy of a copyright. **

**A/note****: Hmm, this seems like a good series finale, and as a fan, I would want a feature length episode :) reviews will be lovingly accepted and appreciated! For the love of jeebus, don't watch 'the human centipede'. It's inexplicably WTF (don't even Google it, I'm serious). Scuse me, I HAVE to go watch some classic 1997 Stargate SG-1: Children of the Gods! I have divided my obsession between Stargate, X Files and NCIS. :)**

_Black__ and white snap shot of Tony looking over his shoulder through a camera, his hand on the lens as he adjusts the focus._

The calm of rustling paper, ticking keyboard keys and the occasional ringing phone was abruptly interrupted by a pair of bickering investigators descending the staircase into the main office area.

"The entire concept is disgusting" Ziva protested.

"Disgusting but brilliant. Whilst it may be the biggest 'what-the-crap' movie thus conceived, the concept will push the limit, of horror movie." Tony countered.

"The idea of a human centipede is not only horrendous, but it is also incredibly stupid."

"This is why it's a horror movie." DiNozzo added informatively, waving a pointed finger at her.

"But the way it was done is..." she paused and waved her hands; looking for the right word.

"Sadistic?"

"Sounds like far too polite a word." She grumbled.

They approached the famous bull ring thoroughly engaged in their argument, so much so they ignored McGee the first time he addressed them.

Not that he was totally interested. Their bickering was either a source of inspiration in his writing or motivation to concentrate purely on his work. Often his need to observe his co-workers for the sake of literature gave him particularly deep insight into the way his team worked together. More like, _why_ they worked so well together.

Though this was not such an instant. His interest had been peaked by such words as 'centipede' and 'sadistic'. He could not conceive what subject would instigate such an unusual combination of words. In the few seconds his comrades paused to breath he chose to pose an inquiry.

"Can I ask what you two are on about?"

Ziva waved a defensive hand towards him before settling in her seat, clearly tired of arguing with Tony.

"Trust me McGee. You _do not_, want to know." She cast a disgusted glare at Tony, who danced his fingers tightly in front of his chest. She looked, if possible, more disgusted with tony.

Tony seemed incapable of suppressing an open laugh that bounced off the walls of the bullring.

McGee looked away from tony in disinterest. It wasn't often when his sense of humour aligned itself with that of his partner. He looked up, his teammate still chuckling away, and saw a yellow pencil collide with the side of Tony's head. Tony jumped in his seat, looking around to find where it originated from.

McGee himself hid the same, casting a glance to the staircase to see his boss descending at a rapid pace. The three agents looked at one another for a moment. They moved quickly, grabbing their gear and exiting the bullring behind Gibbs.

"What have we got boss?" Tony inquired as the elevator door closed, leaving the centipede joke long forgotten.

"Dead commander found in his hotel room. Ducky's already down there."

As if the line went dead, the agents fell into an intense silence that any intruder would find uncomfortable. But not these agents. Silence is golden after all.

"What is this?" Ziva questioned ducky as she halted in the door of the hotel room. In all her years working for Mossad, she found this particular scene distinctly cryptic. The homicide case she worked on in past where far more blunt than this.

The body of a US navy commander, still in his good rig, was laid out in the middle of the room. His arms pulled out either in direction at near perfect 90 degree angles. His left hand was pointed, white ribbon carefully handing the hand closed and the other tightly closed. There was a line in chalk on the crimson carpet pointing away from his body, about 4 feet, towards an unsolved Rubik's cube on the floor above his right shoulder. Burned through his white shirt and into the skin of his chest was the letter R, approximately the size of a dollar bill.

His eyes were closed sleepily.

She also quickly noticed three syringes palmer was bagging and tagging off the coffee table. They were perfectly aligned, like toy soldiers.

Ducky looked up from the victim to the rather confounded looking agent.

"Ah, Officer David. Allow me to introduce Commander Hans Denisoff." He took her by the shoulder, beckoning her into the room.

As they approached the body, she spotted the nametag above the right breast pocket. _Hans Denisoff_. She felt a very light pressure behind her than pushed her jacket. Tony pressed into her back slightly and she flinched at the sound of his voice. Apparently he didn't want the conversation to be discreet. Or at least _look_ discreet.

"Captain of the USS Gettysburg." He resumed his movements around the commander's body, camera poised to capture every angle of the man. He pointed it at the frozen commander.

"He was on stopover whilst going home for some leave. Gotta admit, the puzzle ones are pretty interesting."

_Flash._

He looked up at her. She couldn't help but feel slightly vexed at his admission.

"What?"

"Nothing." She dismissed.

Tony resumed his dancing around the commander, careful to not disturb any part of the scene.

She observed the scene before her curiously. McGee stood at the commander's feet sketching the geometry of the crime in as much detail a pencil and paper could provide. Ducky on his knees prodded at the commander's neck, twisting it from left to right in search of a break or evidence of a strangle. He came with them to the scene simply because he was late to work and came in as they were going out and subsequently insisted on bringing palmer for some 'field experience' he so desperately needed. Tony, well, she was humoured by the way he leaned from side to side, bobbing, leaning and tilting; trying to get every possible angle.

"Aha!" ducky announced from the side of the commanders head. Those in the immediate vicinity dutifully gave the MD their attention.

"Find something Duck?" Gibbs addressed over his shoulder from behind her, where he had been speaking to one of the civilian detectives.

"A minute puncture wound in the back of his neck, right along the hairline no less." He turned the commander's head to the right, revealing a small bruise surrounding a red dot at the base of the skull.

"Mister Palmer, can you bring one of the needles?"

Palmer came across and hand ducky the clear plastic evidence bag. Ducky removed one and began to demonstrate to all those who watched his hypothesis.

"It seems like commander Denisoff was stabbed in the back of the next by one of the syringes. It's very likely one of them snapped off in his neck." He picked up the bag containing the two remaining needles from his side, examining them closely.

"This one." He pointed with his pinkie.

"I suspect this man was euthanized, although I will need to wait for the toxicology to confirm that."

"Why three syringes Ducky?" McGee inquired.

"Traditionally, death by lethal injection consists of three separate injections. The first containing simply saline solution. The second contains a sleep inducing agent called sodium thiopental and the third contained a combination of potassium chloride and pancuronium bromide to stop the heart and relax the muscles."

He stood up from his kneeling position, groan the entire trip from the objection felt in his ligaments. He replaced the syringe back into the plastic bag.

"I don't believe saline was used in this circumstance. If his death was by lethal injection using traditional methods, he would have been given the sodium thiopental first to knock him unconscious."

"So this was not a crime of passion." Ziva stated. She forced herself not to stare at the body.

"I'm afraid not." Ducky agreed, handing the evidence bag to palmer.

"The killer had clear intent." Tony mused. He himself could _only_ stare at the dead.

Gibbs came to his side. He spoke in a hushed, but calm tone near his ear.

"Then we need to work quickly before he makes his next move." He turned on his heel and left the room with his civilian counterpart in tow. Tony addressed the pensive group.

"Hey! We got work to do. Let's get a move on." He asserted.

Movement began again within the room. He looked thorough the camera lens. He spotted Ziva's black boot pass in front of him slowly. He looked across his shoulder and watched her crouch down and pick up the unsolved puzzle. In a quick and concise movement, he focussed the lens on her, watching as she thoughtfully turned the cube without changing the sides.

_Flash._

**Please review, they truly make my day and I really love to hear from other readers.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer****: no, I don't own anything worthy of a copyright.**

**A/note****: re-watching season one. Can't get over the way Abby talked, so morbid LOL. Ah gosh, I'm getting close to exams (November) so if I'm gone for a few weeks and then a whole bunch of updates come over the space of a few days, that why. School is pretty much over after as of the 5th. I really really **_**really**_**, can't wait.**

**Something bad is going to happen! Poor Abby, s'kay, papa smurf is there for her, as always. DiNozzo is being sneaky :) **

_Black and white snap shot of Gibbs looking over the top of a dark hair woman's head, whom he is embracing. He is consoling her and looking angry and worried. _

DiNozzo did his usual duty of carrying the box of evidence down to Abby's lab, his camera still around his neck so he could ensure its secure transport to the gothic forensic specialist. In fact, the woman had multiple specialties, he had discovered over the last decade.

As soon as he stepped into the lab he knew something was out of place. He didn't even need to look. The usual hum of the mass spectrometer was absent. So too was the owner of the marvellous piece of analytical equipment. He stood in the doorway. He leaned back and looked beyond him down the hall. No one coming.

With quick decisiveness he dashed over to Abby's multi-monitor computer and practically dropped the box on the bench. He removed the SD card from the camera and shoved it into the SD slot.

He threw a look across his shoulder. Still alone.

The folder automatically opened, showing all the images from the crime scene taken this morning. He scrolled down. Found her. It was a good picture. At least he thought it was. He right-clicked the thumbnail and hovered over the delete option.

Print? Delete? Print? Delete?

Print, then delete.

He clicked print. He printer on the opposite side of the room hummed to life. As soon as the pop-up showed the image had been printed, he deleted the photo. Next, he went to the recycling bin, and deleted it from there too. At least it wouldn't be obviously deleted, Abby wouldn't find it, well, she probably would, were she looking for it.

Little did the rest of his team know; DiNozzo actually had photos of them in his apartment. Certainly not in a stalker like way, but as he refused to keep photo's of his family apart from an album containing various photographs of his many uncles, and the one he kept of his mother in the top draw of his bedside desk. The ones he kept openly on display in the living room, where those of his team, as they were the ones he privately considered his family. Even Kate. Especially Kate. But Ziva was the one he was most anxious to have...a photo of.

"DiNozzo?" a grumbling voice sounded from close behind him.

His body tensed tightly and he cleared the floor when he jumped. He turned quickly to find his boss standing behind him, caff-pow in hand.

"What are you doing?" Gibbs queried.

"I was uploading the scene photo's the Abby's computer." He stammered with enough cohesion as to _possibly_ convince his boss it was only because he had been startled.

"Uh huh." Not convinved.

"Ah... do you know where Abby is?"

"Yeah. Mentoring for Lemelson at the Smithsonian." Gibbs' face held the same expression. _What were you doing in here?_

"Right." Tony laughed somewhat nervously as he slid away from him, heading indirectly towards the printer. "Centre for the study of innovation and something else..."

"Invention." Gibbs eyed him carefully. Tony came to the printer, instead choosing to lean against the desk in front of it and feign casualness.

"That's the one. So why are you down here, boss?" He rubbed the back of his neck. The muscles there were starting to tighten.

"Because he knew I would be back soon." A voice piped from behind Gibbs before he could answer.

With his boss momentarily distracted with Abby, Tony quickly grabbed his printout, folded it and shoved it in his pocket.

"Uh oh. Caffeine in the evening means an all-nighter. I expect it in the morning and at lunch on a long day, but night..."

"Wouldn't ask unless it was important Abbs." He offered her the giant cup. She accepted it, tentatively. "There's more once you make it through that one."

"That bad, huh?" She took a slurp and came around him into her lab. "Tony?"

"Hey, I brought down some of the evidence and uploaded the photos to your computer." He grinned as he weaved between herself and Gibbs. "I gotta run, work to do..." he ducked out of the room quickly after a glance at Gibbs. Self preservation is a powerful thing.

As she was about to make a comment on Tony's unusual behaviour, her cell phone rang. She frowned when she didn't recognise the number. She went to apologize to him.

"It's alright." He said quickly before moved around her to look over some of the collected evidence. He would brief her afterwards.

"Thanks." She opened the phone and answered.

"Hello... What's wrong...?" Gibbs' attention jumped at the slight apprehension in her voice. "No, she's not with me... she didn't say anything... since when?" Her voice expressed more visible alarm and she blindly grabbed her stool to sit on. Slowly she perched herself down, still listening to the voice on the other end.

"What about my dad? Is he okay?" A pause, then mild relief.

"What do you mean taz came home without her? Um... okay. Well can you tell dad I love him, detective? Thanks. Bye." Her arm fell limb by her side. She looked dazed at best.

"Abby? What's the matter?" Gibbs came over and knelt down in front of his favourite scientist.

"Uh, my mum didn't come home last night. The detective wanted to know if she came to see me or if I knew where she was."

"Detective?"

"My dad went to the cops this morning. He was calling on behalf of him." She tried to chuckle. "It's kind of a one way conversation otherwise. She was about to lose it. Gibbs could tell.

"My mum's dog Taz; she came home last night, by herself." She was closing on tears. "The hearing dogs kind of make you a target for muggings. Kind of screams 'can't hear'."

Gibbs took hold of her arms lightly, trying to reassure her.

"Sorry. Since I moved out... I always worry for them." She sniffed, wiping a tear that threatened to fall. As one disappeared, two more came. Soon, she was openly sobbing. She couldn't look him in the eye.

Gibbs stood up, pulling Abby to her feet.

"Come here." He pulled her into a tight embrace. It was all he could do for her. Certainly given that there was a case to work on. As her emotions peaked, she began to cry heavily, clinging tightly to her boss. Slowly, she came back to earth, though he wasn't going to let her go until she was ready to.

**Dum dum dummmm! Oh poor Abby, I hate to see her cry. I like Abby and Gibbs, have a special bond. Kind of father-daughter but with two adults so not quite, but not totally. Still special though.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer****: no, I don't own anything worthy of a copyright.**

**Summary:**** Tony and Ziva are dispatched to florida whilst Abby struggles to focus on the case. Meanwhile, something bad happens to Gibbs (very articulate miss G...) and Tony reveals a hidden skill to Ziva in a kind of cute way.**

**A/note****: Time for a little Tiva I think. Gotta love Tiva. I'm pedantic about **_**not having**_** tony and Ziva dive into a relationship within the space of three paragraphs. Sorry, but it kind of cheapens the relationship in my mind. I guess I'm a sentimental romantic. Enjoy! * note: times are DC, keep that in mind for the trip to florida. **

_Black and white shot of Abby leaning over an unconscious Gibbs on the floor of lab._

_8:14am_

"The USS Gettysburg is a Ticonderoga-class cruiser normal ported at Mayport, Florida. Commander Hans Denisoff-" McGee changed the image on the plasma to show the dead commander's naval profile. "Only picked up the captaincy 8 months ago."

He paused only momentarily as Gibbs entered the bullring. Tony and Ziva leant against her desk whilst listening to McGee.

"He was born in Russia on March 27th, 1966. The entire family immigrated in 1972 to Dade County, Miami. He started out as an electronics analyst on the USS Ronald Reagan in 1988. One sister currently living in North Carolina. Parents still live in Dade." McGee read. . Tony couldn't help notice Gibbs' look of frustration, like he couldn't talk fast enough. Ziva, by only momentarily glancing at Tony, checked out Gibbs, and he too fell under her gaze. McGee continued.

"He has a Bachelor of engineering, fluent in Russian and German, and been married for 18 years. He has a daughter and two sons. Also in North Carolina. He stopped over in DC for a meeting and was _supposed_ to go back home this afternoon."

"So what was up with the cluedo layout of the hotel room?" Tony interjected.

"Don't know yet, might need to consult with ducky or Abby and see what they have."

"Then I will go and see what Abby has." Ziva announced before making good on her statement and swiftly made her way towards the elevator.

"McGee: find out why he was in Washington and head back to the hotel, see what you can get out of anyone he came in contact whilst he was down there. Tony: you and Ziva are going to Florida to start interviewing the Gettysburg." Gibbs ordered as he hauled his body out of his chair and left the bull ring, heading towards Vance's office.

"Sure thing boss." McGee went straight for the phone.

"Yep, on it. I'll grab Ziva."

Tony pushed off the desk, grabbed his and his partner's backpacks and made a beeline to the elevator. As the doors closed he watched Gibbs reach the top of the stairs. He palmed both packs in one hand and rubbed his eyes. The elevator doors were open by the time he finished rubbing them. Sigh.

He took a few quiet steps into the lab, before stopping short. Ziva and Abby were engaged in what appeared to be a non-work conversation. And not the cheery kind either. Abby sat on her wheeled stool, radiating physical exhaustion in a way he had never seen from her before; hunched over like a question mark with her forehead in her palm. Ziva leant elbows down on the side of the bench, listening intently to whatever Abby was telling her. Her eyes flicked up to him for a second, before returning to Abby.

Abby threw a quick glance over her shoulder and then looked away.

"It's okay Tony. You can come in." She sniffed quietly and left her stool, moving swiftly through into the other room. That was when Ziva came to him.

"She is fine. Or so she tells me. I don't think so though, but if it helps, I will go along with it." Tony analysed the tell-tale signs of concern Ziva displayed. She expressed a controlled calmness to hide any unease. Tony could read her well enough to know that she was still genuinely sympathetic towards her friend.

"Boss wants us to head on out to Florida and talking to Denisoff's crew; see if we can find anything." He held up her pack. He looked over her shoulder to see Abby pacing around in an attempt to occupy her mind. "I'll warm up the car." His eyes flicked back to Abby, hinting to Ziva to go finish their conversation. He took her pack from her again.

"I won't be long."

"Take your time." And with that he left.

_12:46pm_

Gibbs rolled his head from left to right, grimacing at the faint cracks that sounded in his ears. Oh well, it made his neck feel less stiff. He sighed in the mild relief it brought to him. Lisa, the young lady who worked behind the counter returned with the oversized caf-pow! cup.

"Anything else Mr. Gibbs?" She knew him and his order by heart. Sometimes he suspected they kept a full one behind the counter just for hm.

"No thanks Lisa." He grinned. He fished his wallet from his back pocket and opened it, searching to a ten. It was pay day yesterday and the pocket was full of various notes. He soon spotted the ten and licked his thumb to make a grab for it with his somewhat stubby fingers.

As soon as his thumb left his mouth he tasted a strong bitter taste.

"Ugh!" he frowned. He ran his tongue across the cuff of his jacket, the taste was that bad. The bitterness remained but was not as strong. Lisa looked at him, confusion and unease written across her features.

"Touch something with a bad flavour in your travels?" she inquired.

"Must have..." he threw the ten to her, grabbed the beverage and departed quickly.

_12:56 pm_

_Mayport, Florida_

Agent DiNozzo and David ducked and dodged their way through the sea of bodies at the airport on their way to baggage claim. It was mid afternoon and all incoming flights from earlier in the morning seemed to be landing all at once, filling the complex to near breaking point.

Finally, after much walking and darting in between too many people, they made it out the main doors of the airport. Needless to say it was beautiful outside. The lightest of breezes cooled the slightly warm sun and aside from the extensive car park and roads, the scenery beyond held much potential to be remarkable. Tony's revere was unfortunately broken by the shrill of Ziva's cell phone. As she talked, he began to walk towards the car rental. Hopefully the agency picked out a jag for them. Probably not, but one could always hope, can't they?

"Ducky was right. Denisoff was euthanized. Abby is quite frustrated she cannot find any unaccounted fingerprints"

"Defiantly sounds like Abby. She'll get something soon."

"I'll call McGee and see if he's found anything new at the hotel." She punched in the number and waited for him to answer.

"Hey Ziva?"

"Yes?" she still waited for McGee to answer.

"_volete cenare con me?_" would you like to have dinner with me?

She cancelled the call and raised an eyebrow to her partner.

"You speak Italian Tony? I'm impressed." Before he could reply they were approached by a naval petty officer in good rig. The young man must have only been in his early twenties. Tony slipped his sunglasses on.

"Special agents David and DiNozzo?"

"It's pronounced _David_." She educated.

"My apologies ma'am. Your vehicle has already been collected; I will be driving you to the Gettysburg. Please come this way." The young petty officer flushed with mild embarrassment and began walking towards the more business class end of the car park.

As soon as their driver's back was turned, Ziva caught tony by the wrist.

"_Mi piacerebbe_."

He granted her a brief, but affectionate smile.

_12:58pm_

Abby frowned at her computer screen. A bird's eye view image of the crime scene stared at her and she simply could not decipher it. She had made some headway with parts of the immense puzzle though. She had established that the cube could be solved in 64 manipulations, 68 if you started on the red face.

Apart from that, she knew little more. She felt frustrated by the lack of occupation this case gave her. The mass spec was grinding away at a sample taken from the cube, Ducky was probably close to finishing his autopsy and the toxicology was back already with nothing to tell them that they didn't already know. She wanted to be distracted. She _needed_ to immerse herself in this case.

A disturbance behind her caused her to avert eyes from the screen. Only then did they hurt. Gibbs entered the lab, caf-pow! in hand. He sidled up to her, planting her favourite drink on the bench top and then placing his wallet next to it. Odd.

"Making any headway?" he asked, his voice sounding slightly tired (_or weak?)._ She sighed as he rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Not really. I mean, sort of, but I keep thinking we don't have all the information here to wo-" she was cut short by the tightening of his grip on her shoulder.

She looked up at him. His brow was covered in sweat and his cheeks were glowing red. His breathing was laboured.

"Gibbs?"

His eyes twitched in a frown and he fell to the floor.

"Gibbs!" she came down to the floor and held his face. He was unconscious.

She scrambled off the floor and dove to the phone on the wall.

"Medical team down to lab 4, agent Gibbs is down." She left the phone unhooked and rushed back to Gibbs.

Panic surged through her body. She put an ear over his open mouth. Still breathing, but it was very shallow.

"Gibbs? Wake up. Gibbs!" she yelled at him, hoping to wake him.

"GIBBS!"

**Did I mention I tend to do cliff-hangers? Sorry NCIS readers. The XF readers know I do this sometimes... *cough* **_**often**_** *cough***


End file.
